UX Design, Executive Director - Design Systems

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Design, Executive Director - Design Systems

Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Job Type: Full time

Category: Design Operations / Employee Experience Design

Date Posted: 2026-05-06T20:18:02

Experience Level: Executive Director (10+ years implied)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic vision and execution of a global Employee Experience Design System, focusing on standardization and reuse across a diverse employee population.

• Drive innovation in employee experience by staying current with design system best practices, accessibility standards, and emerging technologies.

• Foster a collaborative and inclusive design culture, acting as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

• Implement and govern processes for design system contribution, quality assurance, and release management to ensure consistency and accelerate delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned as an Executive Director, implying significant strategic responsibility and leadership over a critical function within Employee Experience. The emphasis on scaling a Design System across a global employee population and integrating AI technologies suggests a forward-thinking and impactful role. The mention of "matrixed organizations" and "cross-functional alignment" highlights the need for strong influencing and collaboration skills.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and implement comprehensive Design System strategies that align with business objectives, focusing on interaction design, information architecture, and standardization for reuse.

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of experience designers, promoting collaboration, professional growth, and high performance.

• Drive innovation by researching and integrating industry trends in design systems, accessibility, and emergent technologies to enhance the employee experience.

• Define and implement robust governance models for the Design System, including intake processes, contribution guidelines, prioritization frameworks, and decision rights.

• Establish and manage a predictable release and versioning process for design assets, ensuring alignment between design libraries and coded component libraries.

• Define and enforce quality standards for usability, consistency, and accessibility, embedding compliance through system guidance and review mechanisms.

• Partner closely with Engineering leaders to ensure seamless integration of design libraries with reusable coded components, thereby improving implementation consistency and reducing rework.

• Develop and execute enablement programs, including documentation, office hours, training, and onboarding, to accelerate Design System adoption and foster self-service capabilities across product teams.

• Leverage AI technologies to enhance team velocity, optimize design processes, and improve employee experience outcomes.

• Build strong stakeholder relationships across Product, Engineering, Content Design, Research, and Accessibility teams to champion user-centered design principles and influence decisions organization-wide.

• Utilize data fluency and key performance metrics to inform decision-making, optimize experiences for diverse employee segments, and measure the impact of the Design System.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are heavily focused on establishing and scaling a Design System within a large enterprise context. This includes not only the design aspects but also the operational elements like governance, release management, and enablement, which are critical for success in a complex organization like JPMorgan Chase. The integration of AI and the focus on "agentic AI experiences" indicate a forward-looking approach to employee experience design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, an Executive Director role in a field like UX Design typically requires a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field.

Experience: 7+ years of experience or equivalent expertise in user experience design, with a strong focus on interaction design and information architecture. Demonstrated experience in leading and mentoring design teams.

Required Skills:

• 7+ years of experience in user experience design, with a specialization in interaction design and information architecture.

• Proven experience in leading, mentoring, and developing diverse teams of experience designers.

• Advanced skills in visual design, storyboarding, and data fluency for creating compelling digital product elements.

• Demonstrated success in applying inclusive design principles and accessibility guidelines to create equitable experiences for all users.

• Strong understanding of market trends, product knowledge, and technological advancements, with the ability to leverage emerging technologies.

• Proven ability to establish operating models, including governance and workflow processes, that scale design quality across multiple teams and products.

• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving cross-functional alignment with Product and Engineering leaders in matrixed organizations.

• Experience delivering design systems across web, mobile, and conversational UI platforms.

• Deep understanding of design system principles, including patterns, components, tokens, and guidelines.

Preferred Skills:

• Specific expertise in Design Systems.

• Experience applying AI directly to design practices.

• Experience delivering design systems for agentic AI experiences.

• Design leadership or managerial experience.

• Experience scaling accessibility-by-default through reusable components and standards in large organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize both deep design expertise and strong leadership capabilities. The explicit mention of "7+ years" suggests a senior-level individual contributor or manager. The preferred skills highlight a focus on modern design practices, including AI integration and advanced accessibility implementation, which are key differentiators for this role. The emphasis on "scaling" and "operating models" points to the need for someone who can build and maintain robust systems.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase examples of complex enterprise or platform experiences designed, demonstrating interaction design and information architecture expertise.

• Include case studies demonstrating leadership in guiding design teams, fostering collaboration, and driving user-centered design outcomes.

• Present projects that highlight a strong understanding and application of inclusive design and accessibility standards.

• Provide evidence of experience in developing and scaling design systems, detailing contribution models, governance, and adoption strategies.

• Demonstrate how data fluency and KPIs were used to inform design decisions and optimize user experiences.

• Feature examples of cross-functional collaboration with Product and Engineering, illustrating successful alignment and delivery.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to establishing and refining Design System governance, including intake, prioritization, and contribution models.

• Outline your methodology for defining and implementing quality standards and ensuring accessibility compliance within a Design System.

• Provide examples of how you have partnered with engineering to align design libraries with coded component libraries.

• Describe your process for developing and executing enablement programs to drive Design System adoption.

• Illustrate how you leverage AI technologies within design processes and for improving team velocity.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role of this seniority, a portfolio is crucial. It should not only showcase design output but also strategic thinking around system design, team leadership, and process implementation. The emphasis on "scaling," "governance," and "enablement" means candidates should be prepared to discuss the operational aspects of a Design System, not just its visual and interactional components.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for an Executive Director level UX Design role at a major financial institution in New York City, the estimated salary range is between $180,500 - $260,000 annually. This range accounts for the executive-level responsibility, specialized expertise in Design Systems, and the high cost of living in Brooklyn, NY. The specific salary will be determined by the candidate's experience, skills, and the final scope of responsibilities.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health care coverage.

• On-site health and wellness centers.

• Retirement savings plan.

• Backup childcare services.

• Tuition reimbursement program.

• Mental health support services.

• Financial coaching resources.

• Competitive total rewards package including base salary, potential commission-based pay, and/or discretionary incentive compensation (cash and/or forfeitable equity).

Working Hours: Standard full-time work hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, there may be flexibility depending on project needs and team dynamics, but it is not a remote position.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is an estimate based on industry data for a comparable role and location. JPMorgan Chase's benefits package is comprehensive, as listed in the job description, and is standard for large financial institutions. The inclusion of incentive compensation and equity suggests potential for performance-based rewards.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services. JPMorgan Chase is a global leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. This industry context means a focus on security, compliance, reliability, and scalability in all digital experiences.

Company Size: Large enterprise (over 10,000 employees). This implies complex organizational structures, established processes, and a wide reach for the impact of the Design System.

Founded: Over 200 years of history. This legacy suggests a company that values stability, expertise, and long-term vision, while also being committed to innovation.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the Employee Experience function, specifically focusing on Design Systems. This team likely collaborates closely with dedicated Product Management, Engineering, and other UX disciplines (Content Design, Research, Accessibility) within various internal product teams.

• The Executive Director will lead a team of experience designers, reporting into a higher-level leader within Employee Experience or Design.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is emphasized, utilizing KPIs and performance metrics to inform strategy and optimize experiences.

• A strong focus on user-centered design principles is expected, ensuring that employee needs are at the forefront of all design initiatives.

• The role requires establishing and managing governance models and operating processes, indicating a structured, process-oriented approach to design system development and deployment.

• Innovation is encouraged, with an expectation to stay abreast of industry trends, including AI technologies, and integrate them into the design practice.

Company Website: https://www.jpmorganchase.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: JPMorgan Chase's culture in financial services often balances tradition with innovation. For this role, it means the Design System must be robust, secure, and scalable, while also enabling modern, personalized employee experiences. The emphasis on "matrixed organizations" suggests that navigating internal politics and influencing without direct authority will be key.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Executive Director. This level signifies a senior leadership position responsible for a critical functional area (Design Systems within Employee Experience). It involves setting strategic direction, managing a team, influencing organizational practices, and driving significant impact on employee productivity and satisfaction.

Reporting Structure: The role will report to a senior leader within Employee Experience or Design, such as a VP or another Executive Director. They will, in turn, lead a team of experience designers. This structure allows for strategic direction from above and direct management and mentorship of design talent.

Operations Impact: The Design System is a foundational element for delivering consistent, efficient, and high-quality employee experiences across all of JPMorgan Chase's digital platforms. Success in this role directly impacts employee productivity, satisfaction, operational efficiency for development teams, and the overall employer brand. By scaling the Design System, this role enables faster delivery of new features and improvements, reduces UI inconsistencies, and enhances accessibility, all of which contribute to the firm's operational excellence and employee engagement.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to expand the scope of the Design System to cover more employee journey areas or to take on broader responsibilities within the Employee Experience organization.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the future of employee experience at a global scale, influencing technology adoption and product strategy related to employee tools and platforms.

• Industry Recognition: Contribution to a leading Design System in the financial services industry can lead to industry recognition and speaking opportunities.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Potential to move into broader leadership roles in Product Management, UX Strategy, or even business-aligned roles leveraging deep product and user understanding.

• Mentorship and Development: Opportunity to mentor and develop a team of talented designers, fostering their growth and building a strong talent pipeline for the firm.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant strategic leadership and impact within a large, influential organization. The growth path is geared towards expanding influence, leading larger teams, and potentially moving into broader executive roles within the company's technology or HR functions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as "On-site," indicating a traditional office-based work environment. JPMorgan Chase typically offers well-equipped corporate offices.

Office Location(s): Brooklyn, NY (4 Chase Metrotech Ctr). This location is a significant corporate hub for JPMorgan Chase, suggesting access to extensive resources, facilities, and a large employee base.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic workspace designed to foster collaboration among design, product, and engineering teams. This would include meeting rooms, project spaces, and potentially informal gathering areas.

• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design and collaboration tools, likely including enterprise-grade software for design (e.g., Figma, Sketch), prototyping, project management, and communication. The company is also investing in AI technologies, so expect exploration and integration of AI-powered design tools.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with direct reports, peers, and senior leadership. The on-site nature facilitates spontaneous discussions, brainstorming sessions, and a strong sense of team cohesion.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected. While the role is on-site, there might be some flexibility in daily start/end times depending on team needs and project deadlines, but the expectation is consistent presence in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in a major corporate center like Brooklyn suggests a commitment to in-person collaboration and the benefits it brings to complex, large-scale projects like Design System development. Candidates should be prepared for a structured corporate environment with robust infrastructure.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or HR representative will likely conduct an initial screening to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the hiring manager (likely a senior leader in Employee Experience) to delve deeper into your experience, leadership style, and strategic thinking related to Design Systems.

• Team/Peer Interviews: Interviews with other designers, product managers, and engineering leads who would be stakeholders or collaborators. This stage assesses collaboration skills, technical understanding, and team fit.

• Design System Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, focusing on your experience with Design Systems, leadership, and strategic impact. Be prepared to discuss case studies, your process, and how you've driven adoption and quality.

• Executive-Level Interview: A final interview with a more senior executive to assess strategic vision, leadership potential, and alignment with the company's overall goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Design Systems: Ensure your portfolio prominently features work related to Design Systems, including examples of components, patterns, governance, and adoption strategies.

• Showcase Leadership: Include case studies where you led teams, mentored designers, influenced stakeholders, and drove strategic initiatives.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your work – e.g., adoption rates, reduction in UI inconsistencies, improvements in development speed, accessibility compliance scores.

• Demonstrate Process: Clearly articulate your design process, especially concerning Design System development, contribution models, quality assurance, and release management.

• Address Challenges: Be ready to discuss challenges you've faced in implementing Design Systems at scale and how you overcame them.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Highlight specific examples where you championed accessibility and inclusive design within your projects.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Strategy: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach developing or evolving a Design System for a large enterprise like JPMorgan Chase, considering its specific needs and challenges.

• Governance & Adoption: Anticipate questions about how to establish effective governance and drive adoption of a Design System across diverse teams.

• Leadership Scenarios: Prepare for situational questions about managing teams, resolving conflicts, influencing stakeholders, and handling resistance to change.

• AI Integration: Think about how AI can be leveraged to enhance Design System creation, maintenance, and adoption.

• Case Study Presentation: Practice presenting a comprehensive case study from your portfolio, focusing on problem, solution, your role, process, and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for an Executive Director role at a firm like JPMorgan Chase will be rigorous. Emphasis will be placed on strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and demonstrable impact. A well-curated portfolio that specifically addresses Design Systems and the operational aspects of scaling them is essential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop). Given the emphasis on Design Systems, proficiency in a collaborative design tool like Figma is highly probable.

• Design System Management: Tools for managing design tokens, component libraries, and documentation (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, custom solutions).

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Confluence, Jira.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar enterprise project management tools.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Tools for tracking Design System adoption metrics, UI consistency, and user feedback. This may involve custom dashboards or integration with existing analytics platforms.

• Proficiency in interpreting data to inform design decisions and measure impact.

CRM & Automation: While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design systems integrate with product development workflows and potentially internal HR systems or employee platforms is relevant.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with collaborative design tools like Figma is almost a given. The role will also require familiarity with tools and processes that support the management and distribution of Design System assets, including documentation platforms and potentially some understanding of how design is translated into code. Experience with enterprise-level collaboration and project management tools is also expected.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of the employee population through exceptional experiences.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Fostering strong working relationships across Product, Engineering, Research, and other business units to achieve shared goals.

• Excellence & Quality: Upholding high standards for design, accessibility, and consistency across all digital employee touchpoints.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Embracing new technologies and methodologies, such as AI, to continuously improve processes and outcomes.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Building systems and processes that enable efficient delivery and can scale across a global organization.

• Inclusivity & Accessibility: Championing principles of inclusive design and ensuring that all employee experiences are accessible to everyone.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively working with diverse teams, bridging the gap between design, product strategy, and engineering execution.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Encouraging a culture where design choices are supported by data and user insights.

• Open Communication & Feedback: Promoting an environment where feedback is openly shared and constructive, leading to continuous improvement of the Design System and team processes.

• Mentorship & Empowerment: Empowering team members through guidance, support, and opportunities for growth, fostering a culture of shared learning and development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values and collaboration style emphasize a proactive, data-driven, and team-oriented approach. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to influence, collaborate, and drive consensus in a large, complex organization, aligning with JPMorgan Chase's broader corporate values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Across a Global Enterprise: Ensuring consistent adoption and application of the Design System across numerous product teams, business units, and geographical locations within a large financial institution.

• Driving Adoption and Behavior Change: Overcoming resistance to change and encouraging teams to adopt the Design System, moving away from siloed design practices.

• Balancing Standardization and Flexibility: Finding the right balance between enforcing strict standards for consistency and allowing teams the flexibility to innovate and meet specific user needs.

• Aligning Design and Engineering: Maintaining tight alignment between design libraries and coded component libraries, which can be a continuous challenge in large organizations with multiple development teams.

• Integrating Emerging Technologies: Successfully incorporating new technologies like AI into the Design System and associated design workflows in a way that provides tangible benefits and is adopted by teams.

• Measuring ROI: Quantifying the success and return on investment of the Design System in terms of efficiency gains, reduced inconsistency, and improved employee experience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Strategy: Opportunities to deepen expertise in advanced Design System methodologies, governance models, and scaling strategies.

• AI in Design: Learning and applying cutting-edge AI technologies for design automation, content generation, and user experience enhancement.

• Leadership Development: Formal and informal leadership training programs offered by JPMorgan Chase, focusing on executive presence, strategic thinking, and people management.

• Industry Best Practices: Exposure to leading practices in UX, Design Systems, and Employee Experience through conferences, workshops, and internal knowledge sharing.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gaining broader understanding of the financial services industry and other corporate functions through collaboration and potential project involvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the complexity of implementing and scaling a Design System in a large, regulated environment. The growth opportunities focus on expanding leadership scope, mastering new technologies, and developing strategic business acumen within the financial sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your philosophy on building and scaling a Design System for a global enterprise. What are the key pillars of success?"

• "How would you approach establishing governance for a Design System at an organization like JPMorgan Chase, considering its size and complexity?"

• "What strategies would you employ to drive adoption of a new Design System across multiple product teams, and how would you measure its success?"

• "How do you balance the need for consistency with the need for team autonomy and innovation when managing a Design System?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about JPMorgan Chase and this specific role within Employee Experience?"

• "How would you foster an inclusive and accessible design culture within your team and across the organization?"

• "Describe a situation where you had to adapt your leadership style to suit different team members or stakeholders. How did you approach it?"

• "How do you see AI technologies impacting the future of employee experience design and Design Systems?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation around 2-3 key Design System projects. For each, clearly articulate the problem, your strategic approach, your specific role and contributions, the process followed, the challenges encountered, and the measurable impact (e.g., adoption rates, efficiency gains, consistency improvements).

• Focus on Leadership: Emphasize your leadership in guiding teams, mentoring designers, and influencing stakeholders.

• Demonstrate Process: Walk through your methodology for governance, contribution models, quality assurance, and release management.

• Visuals: Use clear, concise visuals (screenshots, diagrams, component examples) to illustrate your points.

• Data & Metrics: Be ready to discuss how you use data and KPIs to measure success and drive continuous improvement.

• Interactivity: If possible, consider a brief interactive demo of a component or part of the system you've worked on, if applicable.

• Tailor to JPMC: Briefly touch upon how your experience and approach would be relevant to JPMorgan Chase's specific context (financial services, global scale, AI integration).

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate their strategic vision for Design Systems, demonstrate leadership in driving adoption and quality, and showcase their ability to manage complex processes within a large enterprise. The interview will likely involve a mix of strategic, behavioral, and case-study-based questions.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Executive Director, UX Design - Design Systems position:

• Submit your application through the JPMorgan Chase & Co. careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Preparation: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your experience with Design Systems, including case studies on strategy, governance, adoption, and cross-functional collaboration. Quantify impact with metrics and highlight leadership experience.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords and experiences relevant to Design Systems, UX leadership, accessibility, AI integration, and working in large, matrixed organizations. Focus on achievements and quantifiable results.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design system philosophy, leadership approach, and strategic vision. Prepare to present your portfolio effectively, focusing on problem-solving, process, and impact. Research JPMorgan Chase's values and recent initiatives in employee experience and technology.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with JPMorgan Chase's business, its commitment to employee experience, and its technological advancements, particularly in areas like AI and digital transformation. Understand the challenges and opportunities within the financial services industry.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.